Curing Back-to-School Blues for Elementary School Kids

The emergence of back-to-school sales can mean many things: no more white pants, shorter evenings, and a sharp decline in bug bites. For kids, this means one thing – no more playful summertime.

Most likely, the return to class is met with begrudging back-to-school shopping and melodramatic temper tantrums. The realization of having to wake up at the crack of dawn and being in bed before any of the good shows come on usually trumps the excitement of getting to learn 4th grade math.

Fortunately, one of the best things about being an adult is the fact that you can predict these happenings early on because you probably did it too. Curb the back-to-school blues with a few simple tricks.

Start Early

Rather than wait until the day before school to change routines, ease into the early wake up calls and bedtimes. If your kids are used to lounging around in pajamas, make them get dressed and ready for the day when they wake up. Start implementing scheduled meals, to mimic the meal routine at school. If you want, take the extra step and pick up some workbooks to get their brains moving a little.

The most important thing is to not bombard them with harsh changes. Allow them the opportunity to ease back into their school routine so as not to overwhelm them.

Communicate With Your Child

Help increase your child’s excitement for the new school year by talking to them. Allow them to be a part of the preparation. Ask what they want for their first day lunch, let them pick out their outfits, give them the opportunity to meet their new teachers. If your child has concerns about going back to school, talking to them can help ease their worries.

Involvement

Whether they admit it or not, your involvement in their summer lives serves as one of the biggest things to adapt to once children go back to spending the school day with a new teacher. Make that shift more subtle by volunteering for a classroom activity or surprising them with lunch one day.

Make the change to going back-to-school a fun one. After their first day, plan a special dinner and ask them to talk about absolutely everything. Express your excitement to help strengthen a positive mindset about going back to school. Cure back-to-school blues by changing the experience into a back-to-school adventure.